Laurent Perrier La Cuvée Brut

The latest rendition of Laurent-Perrier's NV Brut is showing nicely, wafting from the glass with scents of almond paste, iodine, white peach, warm biscuits and mandarin. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, with an elegant, lively profile, displaying a youthfully frothy mousse, good tension at the core and an attractively chalky finish. This is an excellent non-vintage wine that seems to reflect the maison's efforts to improve their grape sourcing over the last few years.

Pale colour. Lemon shortbread nose, the tiniest hint of marzipan, verbena. Needle-fine mousse and intense, sharpened, lemon-sherbet acidity. Very pointed, with a bit of lemon-bon-bon sweetness on the finish. Razor-sharp finish. Elegant, angular, classic.

The brioche and cooked-apple and cream character really comes through here. Full-bodied and round with fine bubbles. Flavorful and intense. Vivid, bread-dough finish. This is four years on lees. 55% chardonnay and the rest pinot.